Suspect in teen's death charged with second killing

A Washington, D.C., man charged with nine others in the alleged gang killing of a Langley Park teenager was charged last month in the stabbing death of a District man.

Daniel Abizai Zabala, 26, of the 1300 block of Randolph Street NW, was charged June 5 with first-degree murder in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, a week after a witness identified him as the assailant in the May 10 stabbing death of 20-year-old Julio Palestino-Lascarez, according to police affidavits.

Metro police found Palestino-Lascarez lying on the ground in the 3500 block of 14th St. NW, suffering from multiple stab wounds, according to the records. Metropolitan police found a 10-inch knife near Palestino-Lascarez's body. He was pronounced dead just after 6:04 a.m.

Zabala was arrested that morning and charged with assault for his alleged role in a gang-related knife attack that occurred an hour before and a block away from Palestino-Lascarez's stabbing, according to the records.

During Zabala's questioning, Metro police discovered that a Montgomery County warrant named him as a suspect in the gruesome death of Dennys Alfredo Guzman-Saenz, 15, who was abducted from a bus stop Jan. 18, taken to Malcolm King Park in Gaithersburg and stabbed 72 times.

County officials say that Guzman-Saenz's assailants, members of the 18th Street gang, kidnapped and killed him because they mistakenly thought he was a member of the rival gang Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13. Witness who pointed Metro police to Zabala in the District killing said that the victim was a member of MS-13, according to court records.

Zabala's preliminary hearing on the District charge is set for July 10. Montgomery County prosecutors intend to prosecute Zabala if he ever comes into their custody, said Emily White, spokeswoman for State's Attorney John McCarthy.

County officials have spelled his name Zavala in arrest warrants, court documents and press releases. "Zavala" is listed as an alias for Zabala in the D.C. online court database. White said she was not aware of the discrepancy.

Montgomery officials extradited the other suspect in Guzman-Saenz's death whom Metro police took into custody at the same time as Zabala.

Silvia Martinez, 20, witnessed Palestino-Lascarez's stabbing and told police that she saw two men with ponytails attack Palestino-Lascarez, according to records. Metro police later learned that Zabala and Martinez had been sharing a bedroom in the house where Zabala was arrested that morning.

During questioning, Metro police detained Martinez as a fugitive from the Montgomery County warrant. County authorities extradited her May 14.

Francis Artiga-Cardoza, 19, of Manassas, Va., was arrested in Massachusetts in May, county police said. He had not been extradited as of Tuesday.

On June 18, Martinez and five other suspects in Guzman-Saenz's death were indicted for murder, conspiracy to commit murder, participation in gang activity resulting in death, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit kidnapping and participation in a gang activity resulting in kidnapping.

The other two suspects remain in county custody on murder and kidnapping charges.